Oops! TV Crew Discovers Rooftop Marijuana Plantation While Filming Bicycle Race

Tommy Chong That 70's Show

If there's one thing that's been true of television programming across all eras, it's that one can never be prepared for what may happen live. One may swear without warning, or a news camera may just casually do an overhead shot of an elaborate drug operation during coverage of another event. The latter was the case in Spain when a helicopter TV crew got "high" up in the sky and discovered something quite profound.

That discovery ended up being a marijuana rooftop plantation that had a number of cannabis plants being cultivated. The plants appeared to have enough coverage to prevent neighboring buildings from peeking in on the crop, but could clearly be seen from the view of the helicopter, which was originally being used to film professional bicycling event the Vuelta a Espana.

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Now, I know the sport of professional bicycling has been plagued by doping scandals, but this is truly ridiculous! The rooftop reefer had absolutely nothing to do with the event, but soon became a subject of interest to viewers and the local police. Daily Mail reported that Barcelona authorities raided the building (located in Igualada) not long after folks spotted the footage, and removed the plants from the rooftop.

No arrests have been made just yet, but photos showed the police left no stone unturned, even if some stoners got off easy. Photos showed that the plants were sitting in the back of a truck bed, and likely waiting to be disposed of by authorities.

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For the record, growing ganja for personal use is completely legal in Spain but buying and selling the plant is illegal. The concern, presumably, is that this large number of plants were cultivated with an intent to sell, unless someone in that building has a super severe case of glaucoma. The plot thickens even deeper, as the rooftop terrace was disconnected from any apartments in the building, so it's unclear who planted the herb.

This was quite a bit of excitement for the Vuelta a Espana, which was in the midst of its eighth stage of the race. The eleventh stage is set to continue on Wednesday, and hopefully, citizens will learn from this incident and keep their noses and rooftops clean should any helicopter television crews decide on a fly by to monitor the action. Hell, after all this international attention, they may be on alert for more criminal activity to boost ratings!

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The fall television season is fast approaching, and pretty soon audiences won't have to rely on roof-dwelling dope cultivators to get their entertainment. Stick with CinemaBlend for more information on the hottest shows coming to television, and for a look at movies headed to theaters as well.

Mick Joest
Content Producer

Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.